Infusion of bradykinin (BK) into the renal arteries increases sodium excretion. However, it is not clear whether natriuresis results from the renal hemodynamic effects or from the direct effect on renal tubular sodium transport. Therefore, we examined the effects of BK on the transport-dependent oxygen consumption in the distal tubule (DT) and cortical collecting tubule (CCT) of deoxycorticosterone-treated rats. BK inhibited oxygen consumption in a dose-dependent way with a maximal reduction at 0.1μM BK. The inhibitory effect of BK was not present in the absence of sodium or in the presence of ouabain (1 mM). These data imply that the inhibitory effect of BK is restricted to the sodium transport-dependent oxygen consumption. We also investigated the relationship between the effect of BK on oxygen consumption and arachidonic acid metabolism. Mepacrine (10μM), an inhibitor of membrane phospholipases, prevented the inhibitory effect of BK, but indomethacin (0.5 mM) didn t. These results suggest that BK decreases the sodium transport-related oxygen consumption in the rat DT and/or CCT, and that it may be mediated by products of enzymes other than cyclooxygenase.